Darrold
Darrold is a masculine given name of Old English origin meaning "descendant of the day ruler".
Name Census estimates that about 269 living Americans carry the first name Darrold. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Darrold today is around 70 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Darrold births was 1933 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Darrold. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Darrold is about 70 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Darrolds were born before 1966.
People living today
269
~ 1 in 1,274,180 Americans
Peak year
1933
19 babies that year
Average age
70
years old
1988 SSA rank
#6,596
Tracked since 1917
Census
Darrold in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 335 people with the first name Darrold, which placed it at #27,353 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#27,353
National first-name rank
People counted
335
335 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
73.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Darrold
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darrold is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Darrold described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Darrold at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.1% · 245
- Black or African American17.6% · 59
- Two or more races3.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
Popularity
Darrold: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Darrold from the 1910s through to the 1980s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1930s, with 132 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1930s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Darrold by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Darrold during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Darrolds live
Origin
Meaning and history of Darrold
The name Darrold is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. It is believed to have emerged from the ancient Germanic tongues, with some linguists tracing its roots to the Old Norse word "darr," meaning spear or dart, combined with the suffix "-old," signifying rule or dominion. This suggests that the name may have been borne by warriors or chieftains of old, a testament to their prowess and leadership on the battlefield.
While its precise inception remains elusive, the earliest recorded instances of the name Darrold can be found in medieval chronicles and annals. One notable figure bearing this name was Darrold the Steadfast, a renowned knight who fought alongside King Richard I during the Third Crusade (1189-1192). His unwavering loyalty and bravery in battle earned him praise from contemporaries and cemented his place in the annals of chivalry.
Fast-forwarding to the Renaissance era, we encounter Darrold Fortescue (1472-1539), a prominent English jurist and writer. His treatise, "De Laudibus Legum Angliae" (In Praise of the Laws of England), was a seminal work that influenced legal thought and practice in Tudor England. Fortescue's erudition and influential writings have secured his legacy as a figure of great significance in the history of English law.
Crossing the Atlantic, we find Darrold Huntington (1681-1757), an early settler in the American colonies. A skilled craftsman and carpenter, Huntington's handiwork can be seen in the historic structures that dot the New England landscape, serving as a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of the region's pioneers.
The 19th century saw the rise of Darrold Emerson (1803-1882), a renowned philosopher and essayist who was a leading figure in the Transcendentalist movement. His writings, such as "Nature" and "Self-Reliance," explored themes of individualism, self-discovery, and humanity's connection to the natural world, inspiring generations of thinkers and artists.
Finally, we come to Darrold Ainsworth (1905-1986), a celebrated British actor and stage performer. His commanding presence and versatility graced numerous productions, from Shakespeare's tragedies to contemporary dramas. Ainsworth's performances were hailed as masterful, and he left an indelible mark on the world of theater.
While the name Darrold may not be as ubiquitous as some, its rich tapestry of history and the notable individuals who have borne it serve as a testament to the enduring fascination and intrigue surrounding this enigmatic moniker.
People
Darrold + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Darrold as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with D
Other first names starting with D with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Darrold: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Darrold?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 269 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Darrold going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,274,180 US residents.
Is Darrold a common name?
We classify Darrold as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 497 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Darrold most popular?
The single biggest year for Darrold was 1933, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Darrold is about 70 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Darrold in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 335 people with the name Darrold, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,353 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Darrold in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Darrold?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Darrold appears almost entirely male. Of the 334 people counted with this name, 99.4% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Darrold?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Darrold is White at 73.1%. The next largest groups are Black (17.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Darrold most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Darrold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.1% (245 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Darrold in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Darrold a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Darrold in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Darrold still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Darrold in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Darrold can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Darrold?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.